The term precursor refers to a forerunner or harbinger - someone or something that comes in advance of another. Thousands of years prior to the arrival of Jesus Christ, men and women foretold of His coming. This continued until John the Baptist who stood in the wilderness, called people to repent, and announced that God was sending someone more powerful than him (Matthew 3:11). Each of these individuals prepared the people around them for what God was doing and what was to come.
Today's believers are the inheritors of this great Biblical tradition. Just as the prophets spoke of a savior who would come to the world to redeem people, so are Christians to make the same proclamation. The prophets of old spoke of Jesus in faith, believing the God who filled their mouths would fulfill His word. We, however, have the evidence that Jesus indeed came and was crucified on a cross, God's Holy Spirit, and our faith in the Bible that indeed, the Son of God will come back to do what is prophesied.
However, many of us modern Christians ignore our unique calling to be like John the Baptist and others who served as precursors to Jesus. John prepared the people of his time for a Messiah who came and performed great signs and wonders by the power of God. A Savior who continued to do great things through His disciples, the men and women who preached to those who would listen that He was coming back one day. Through His name, they healed people's minds and bodies, sometimes just by teaching them to repent of their sins and be reconciled with the Lord.
We think the precursor role ended with John the Baptist or maybe with the great generals of the faith who carried the gospel to strange lands and peoples. But, we - the people who bear the name of Christ and are marked with the Holy Spirit - are equally called to serve as precursors of Jesus. We too are charged to declare that the kingdom of God is coming and call others to confess their sins, repent, and be reconciled to God through Christ before He returns to claim those who belong to Him. We are to walk in the miracles, signs, and wonders that open hearts and minds to the reality of our God.
Jesus told His disciples, and in turn all who would believe in Him through them (meaning you and I), "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). We are to be vessels through which God's salvation may reach to the ends of the earth because He has revealed to us that a day is coming when His grace will no longer be available. On that day - Judgment Day - we will be called to account for every action, every thought, even our idle words. God will judge whether we can reside with Him in heaven or remain with satan for eternity in the fiery pit.
God cannot lie, and since He has alerted us to this eventuality, it becomes even more pressing to stand as a precursor to Jesus in this day and age. We need to know His word so we can use it to soothe the pains of those around us. We need to walk in the Spirit so we can be at the right place at the right time to display God's light and speak it into the spirit of a person overrun by darkness.
The Lord will help us as we step out in faith that we - the children He paid a blood price to save - will serve as today's precursors to Jesus and His glorious return. IJN, Amen.
See you at Noon EST when we will gather to worship the Lord who sacrificed His Son for us. Then, we will pray for our loved ones as well as strangers, calling on God to meet their needs. In our last 10 minutes of fellowship, we will pray for ourselves, calling on God to strengthen our spirit man, and physical body so we stand in Godfidence, and not in fear, as the announcers of Christ's triumphant return. I hope to see you then!
To learn more, please read:
I want to thank God for something special that He did for me. This might seem like a small thing to make noise about but please let me thank my God. Besides, my fellow handbag lovers may understand.
So there's a bag I've watched (and wanted) for years! I'd prayed about it and was assured by the Lord that I could have it (yes, I submit my purchases to God, lol).
Well, the bag came up on the preloved market and my delays caused me to miss it. To say I was sad is an understatement. But the Lord reassured me that I'd have another opportunity and that's what happened. The same bag in another color was available so I scooped it up.
I've enjoyed the bag the last few months and recently went out with some good friends. I took the bag to meet them (because we do these silly things sometimes) and all went fine.
I'd loaned someone my hand sanitizer while at the restaurant and when they were done, I picked it up from the table and stashed it in my makeup bag which was in my purse.
The next day, I switched bags and opted for an older leather bag that I've had for at least a decade. Why did I discover that my hand sanitizer somehow leaked out of the makeup bag and stained my bag?
Somehow, I was calm and simply thanked the Lord that it didn't happen with my newer purchase. So I want to use this opportunity to thank my great King for sparing me the sadness I would have felt if I'd destroyed my new bag. I believe He's either going to replace my old bag or give me something new, either way, He'll give me a new bag and that'll make me happy.
Praise the Lord!!
PS: Just realized that I wrote this post last week Tuesday (April 7, 2025) and since then, He made sure to hook me up with a new bag. Wow. God is great!